Violin with chin rest



May 21, 1963 Y. MENUHIN ETAL VIOLIN WITH CHIN REST Filed June 2' 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May' 21,` 1963 Y. MENUHIN ETAL 3,090,275

VIOLIN WITH CHIN REST Filed Junel 2, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Oice 3,090,275 Patented May 21, 1963 3,090,275 VIOLIN WITH CHEN REST Yehudi Menuhin, Gstaad, Switzerland, and Emo Meir Goldberger, Milan, Italy Filed June 2, 1966, Ser. No. 33,530 Claims priority, application Switzerland June 4, 1959 Claims. (Cl. 84-279) Most of the chin rests in use today on violins are mounted on the left of the tailpiece. This conventional arrangement presents the double inconvenience of necessitating a clamping or binding on a relatively weak portion of the violin body and of provoking a holding of the violin in bad position, i.e. chin on the tailpiece, Chin rests disposed in the middle are too high, since the tailpiece should be capable of freely expanding between violin body and chin rest.

The subject matter of the present invention is a violin with chin rest, of which the tailpiece is attached by a strap to a button that is plugged into a block which is cornprised by the violin body. This violin-and-chin-rest assembly is characterized in that said button is reinforced, and that the chain rest is fixed to the button substantially rigidly by bearing on the violin body on both sides of said strap.

One form of the violin-and-chain-rest assembly disclosed by the invention is shown in the drawing in which FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal section through the assembly along the line 1-1 of FIGURE 2;

FIG. 2 is a partial end View lfrom the left of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial top View, in which the chin rest is indicated only by dash-and-dot lines and in which the tailpiece is shown in partial section.

The body of the violin comprises the top 1 which carries bridge 2, back 3, tie 4 and block S. The latter is provided with a conical bore in which is ixedly mounted a ybutton which comprises `a bushing 6 made of a suitable material such as wood and a core element 7 made of metal such as steel.

The violin comprises a tailpiece 8 preferably made of a very homogenous and resistant wood and of which the forward end is hook-shaped in profile and provided with slots 9 for the strings 10. At its rear end, tailpiece 8 is provided with a recess 11 on the underside and nearly over its entire width. Extending from the bottom of recess 11, a threaded hole is provided in tailpiece 8 in the median longitudinal plane thereof. A threaded stud 12 is rigidly iixed in the threaded hole with its threaded shank 12a threaded therein. Stud 12 has a long head 12b which over nearly 'its entire length is provided with a threaded bore 13. In the latter is engaged a screw 14 which passes through a non-threaded median hole 15 of a fork joint steel member 16 that is provided with tWo lateral and symmetrically disposed non-threaded holes 17. Through the latter extend threaded end-portions 18a of a strap 18 which, for example, is a steel Wire and has a median semicircular portion which engages button 6. The salient portion of the button 6 is provided with a circular groove 19 in which the semi-circular strap portion is seated. Each of the two threaded end-portions 18a carries a knurled nut 20; and these two nuts bear on the wings of fork joint member 16,

Assembly Iis elected so that there is about two millimeters play between member 16 and head 12b of stud 12. The violinist then can nely adjust the spacing between tailpiece 8 and bridge 2 by inserting a screwdriver into the grooved conical head of screw 14 which is partly engaged in a conical recess of member 16 adjacent to hole 15. In recess 11 of tailpiece 8 are disposed the two nuts 20, fork joint member 16, screw 14 and head 12b of stud 12.

The fine adjustment has been provided to take into account the fact that the length of the strings 10 between tailpiece 8 and bridge 2, which gives the best sonority, varies from one instrument to the other and cannot be determined beforehand.

The violin is provided with a chain rest 21 of which the major portion 21a, constructed to support the violinists chin, is of substantially uniform thickness, and which has in the rear a shoulder 2lb in which is provided a rectangular recess 22. Through the latter extend freely the uppper portions of strap 18. The two portions of the underside of shoulder 2lb -which are positioned on opposite sides of recess 22, rest on the portions of top 1 which are supported by block 5 and further on an angle piece 23 which also serves as support for the two knee pieces of the two legs of strap 18.

An upper wing 24a of a clip 24 of L-shaped transverse section is xed against the bottom of recess 22 by three screws 25 positioned in triangular relation. Another wing 24b points towards button 6, 7 and has a threaded hole in which is engaged one, 26a, of two threaded portions of a clamping shank 26 of which the other threaded portion, 26b, is engaged in a threaded hole of the metallic button core 7. A median shank portion 26e, which is of greater diameter, is provided with two diametral holes 27 in which is engageable a cylindrical shank of a tool for turning shank 26 in steps of 90. The threads of the shank portions 26a, 2Gb and of the respective holes are of reversed sense (left-hand threads and right-hand threads) and when clamping shank 26 is turned, the clamping action of chin rest 21 on the violin body is either increased or reduced. In other words, the chin rest is substantially rigidly fixed to the violin body. The lesser the clamping action, the more -closely the chin rest approaches the top of tailpiece 8 when the violinists chin exercises a determined pressure.

In the angle between its portions 2lb, 21C the chin rest is recessed at 28, and this recess extends forwardly into the adjoining part of portion 21a, is indicated at 28a in FIG. 1. Recess 28 permits the chin rest to have a minimum height without risking to contact the tailpiece thereby.

In the form of invention shown and described, chin rest 21 and tailpiece 8 are made of wood. It is, however, feasible to make same of a suitable plastic, in which case the clip 24 is anchored in the shoulder 2lb during the molding process. When the chin rest is made of plastic, there accrues an advantage in that its portion 21a may be provided with perforations to take into account the transpiration on the violinists chin.

Numerous other modifications of the embodiment shown and described may lbe envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a violin having a body including a top, a tie and a block carried by said tie; a button carried by the intermediate portion of said block, said button including a bushing tightly secured in said block, a generally U-shaped strap carried by said button and extending up along side said tie land over said top, a tailpiece, means connecting said tailpiece to said str1-ap, `a chin rest seated on said top, said chin rest having ia recess providing clearance for said strap, a core element lrigidly positioned in said bushing `and projecting into said button, a clip secured to said chin rest, and ya clamping shank exten-ding between said core element 'and said clip and clamping said chin rest to said top.

2. A violin structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein vsaid core element 'and said clip :have aligned threaded bores `of opposite hand, fand said clamping shank has threaded end portions of different hand threaded in said bores.

3. A violin structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said strap has spaced parallel legs and said clipv has a 3 depending portion seated 'between said strap legs for guided movement therebetween.

4. A violin structure as set forth in claim l wherein said block has `a tapered Ibore, iand said bushing is tapered :and wedged in said block bore.

5. The vcombination yof a violin ltype musical instrument having a button in the tail end thereof, 1a chin rest yhaving bearing portions resting Ion the top yedge of the violin type instrument, and means interconnecting said chin rest and said button forming the sole scouring means of said chin rest to `said violin type instrument.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

5. THE COMBINATION OF A VIOLIN TYPE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING A BUTTON IN THE TAIL END THEREOF, A CHIN REST HAVING BEARING PORTIONS RESTING ON THE TOP EDGE OF THE VIOLIN TYPE INSTRUMENT, MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID CHIN REST AND SAID BUTTON FORMING THE SOLE SECURING MEANS OF SAID CHIN REST TO SAID VIOLIN TYPE INSTRUMENT. 